Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 80- A real bad surprise

C O L E

We left the car a few blocks away. The streets were full of people, and the roads were mostly blocked off. For us. The station wasn't that far anyway— and after everything, walking just felt right.

The morning air was warm, sunlight pooling between the tall glass tower that was Borg industries. The streets ahead were already lined with crowds — parents with kids on their shoulders, teens waving homemade banners— "saving Ninjago yet again" and "Ninja never quit" being displayed proudly. Shopkeepers were leaning out of their doors to get a better look.

And yeah... they were cheering.

Not polite clapping or "oh, it's the ninja, neat" kind of cheering. Real, from-the-gut stuff. The kind that shakes the air and makes your chest tighten in the best way possible.

"Wow," Kai muttered under his breath. "Kinda forgot what this sounded like."

Beside me, Jay was stiff as a board. Shoulders locked, eyes scanning every face like he was bracing for something sharp to come flying out of the crowd, aimed straight for him.

I slowed a bit so I could walk next to him. "Hey," I said, low enough so the others couldn't hear, "they're here for you too, you know."

He didn't answer, but his knuckles were white where he was gripping the hem of his sleeves.

A woman with a little boy on her hip leaned out from the crowd as we passed. "Thank you!" she called. "For everything!"

The boy waved a tiny blue flag — blue, like Jay's colors — and grinned so hard I thought his face might split.

Jay's step faltered. Just a little. But I caught it.

Then another group — teenagers this time — yelled his name specifically. "Jay! You rock, bro!"

That got him to look up.

Not smile. Not yet. But his face softened, like maybe the armor was cracking— albeit little by little, but cracking nonetheless.

We kept moving. Every block, more voices, more faces. A few glares. But not a single whisper of fear. And if anything, I noticed people leaning forward when Jay passed, like they wanted him to see them smiling. Like they wanted him to know that they supported him.

Guess the citizens of Ninjago didn't really trust Gayle gossip spreading information about the ninja.

Because she made it look like everything that had happened was Jays doing— thank the Gods the people didn't seem to believe it.

By the time we reached the station steps, his shoulders weren't quite so tight.

The front doors swung open, and the commissioner was there in full uniform, medals gleaming like he'd polished them twice. "Ninja," he greeted with a deep nod, his white moustache shaped perfectly for the press. "Ninjago City owes you more than words can express."

Inside, the hall was packed — journalists, city officials, rows of uniformed officers. The ceremony itself was... well, a ceremony. Speeches. Handshakes. A couple of awkward photos. The commissioner pinned each of us with a medal, shaking our hands for the cameras.

When he got to Jay, the cheer that went up from the crowd inside was louder than the rest.

I swear I saw Jay's throat work, like he was trying to swallow something heavy. But then—finally—he smiled. Not big and goofy, not his usual "let's lighten the mood" grin. Just small. Honest.

The ceremony wrapped up with the anthem, everyone standing, hands over hearts. And when it was done, Jay wasn't hovering behind us anymore. He was standing right there in the line, shoulders squared, eyes forward.

Still scared? Yeah. Probably.

But for the first time in a long time... he didn't look like he was running from it.

And to me, that was a bigger win than any medal.

~~~

We spilled out of the station like a bunch of kids leaving school for the summer. The air felt lighter, and the streets were quieter now that most of the crowd had drifted off. I could still hear the never-ending hum of the city, but here... it was mostly just us.

Jays shoulders weren't even hunched anymore. He almost looked— at ease.

Yeah no, he definitely looked a bit more confident in himself than he had before, and that was all I really wanted for the zaptrap.

I had just started telling a story— about a dumpling vendor chasing me with a ladle, even earning a chuckle from Zane himself— when Rue suddenly stopped mid-laugh.

They came around the corner like a shadow spilling into daylight — nine, maybe ten people, spread wide across the road, blocking our way. Leather jackets, steel-toed boots. Hands gripping metal bats, pipes, a crowbar or two.

The kind of look you didn't mistake for 'friendly.'

The one in front grinned, and it definitely wasn't the nice kind. His teeth were yellow, his eyes narrowed with recognition, a long scar running from behind his ear all the way down to his collarbone.

"Well, look who it is."

I felt Jay freeze beside me, the piercing gaze of the man penetrating his very soul.

Another one— greasy, long hair, tattoos on every available piece of skin, and bright blue eyes— spat on the ground. "You think it's funny, huh? Smashing up our place? Blowing our stash to hell? That was ten grand worth of product."

Rue's brows knitted. "Product?" She whispered.

"Drugs," Lloyd answered flatly, his jaw tensing in the tension of the moment.

"Now we're ten thousand in debt, and guess what? Your pretty little face is gonna pay for it."

The way he said "pretty little face" made my skin crawl.

I didn't even have to look — I knew Jay had frozen. I could hear the way he stopped breathing, I could see his eyes widen and the way his legs stayed stuck in place.

The gang shifted forward as one, weapons lifting.

The light, happy mood from a second ago evaporated, just gone. The air felt like it snapped cold in an instant.

And my hand clenched into a fist.

Because if they really thought they were gonna touch him and get away with it— they were in for a real bad surprise.